Table



Oct. 1, 1957 H. F. scHULT, sR 2,807,909

TABLE:

Filed March 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Shea?l 1 9 Il F lG.4.

Hons F. Schul'rr.

ATTYJ,

Oct. l, 1957 H. F. SCHUL-r, sR 2,807,909

TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March '18, 1954 -FIG.6.

ATTY-f.

TABLE Hans F. Schult, Sr., Waverly, Iowa Application March 1S, 1954, Serial No. 417,101

2 claims. (c1. 45-131) This invention relates to furniture, and more particularly to a table having a changeable top with which is associated improved means for providing ornamentation which is of such construction that a series of ornamental strips may be selectively disposed in position to be viewed through a transparent top panel.

One object of the invention is to provide the table with a hollow body having a transparent top panel and a bottom panel which is removably secured and carries upstanding brackets between which rollers are mounted, the rollers being engaged by portions of an endless web consisting of contrasting strips secured in end-to-end engagement with each other and extending between andtrained about the rollers so that when the rollers are lturned the webmay be moved longitudinally and a selected one of the strips moved into position to be seen through the transparent top panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a table havingl the web engaging rollers rotatably supported by brackets extending upwardly from the removable bottom panel so that when the bottom panel is removed, the brackets and the web engaging rollers will be moved downwardly out of the hollow body of the table and thus allow vrepairs to be made or another web applied to the rollers in place of a web already in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a table of this character wherein one of the rollers is so constructed that it has frictional binding engagement with a portion of the web trained about it and thus allow the web to be readily moved longitudinally when thedriving roller vis turned.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for supporting the transparent top panel, `this transparent panel resting upon flangedstrips secured to walls of the body and not only supporting the transparent panel but also serving as supporting means fortan ornamental trim which extends entirely abouty vthe body and constitutesv a borderwhich overlies andk conceals 4the rollers and` marginal edges of the upper flight of the ornamental web. f

Another object of the invention is to provide a -t-able of this character Vwhich issim le in construction and very easily operated. w

. The inYentiOn is illustrated inthe accompanying drawingwller'ein:V o p,

Vl-igLljis a perspective view of the improved table, a

rates atent portion of the'transpareri't upper panel being removed in order tor clearly show Vthe'uppe'r flight of the ornamental webrw,... Fig.' 2` is a sectioalview taken longitudinally through the table;

j Fig.` 32 isja transverse sectional View;l taken alongr the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the drive roller; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View showing two strips or 2,807,909 Patented Oct. 1, 1957 ICC sections ofthe ornamental web secured in end-to-end engagement with each other.

This improved table has ahollow body 1 which may be of any length and width desired and may be either oblong, as shown, square or of any otheroutline desired. The hollow body has oppositely disposed side walls 2 and 3 and end walls 4 and 5 which are also in opposed relation to each other.

Supporting legs 6 are provided at corners of the table and ends of the side walls and end walls are firmly secured to the legs in any desired manner. While upper ends of these legs have been shown protruding above upper edges of the walls, it will be understood that they may be ush with ythe Wallsy or have ornamented upper ends, if so desired. Y

Metal strips 7 are secured against inner surfaces of the walls by fasteners 8 which may be screws, small nails or the like, and these strips are formed with inwardly` projecting flanges 9 which are spaced downwardly from the upper edges of the walls such a distance that when a transparent top panel 10 is set at rest upon the supporting strips, its upper surface will be Hush with the upper edge faces of the walls. The flanged strips alsor serve to support an ornamental trim 11 which extends entirely l about marginal portions of the transparent top panel and not only adds to the appearance of the tablebut also serves to conceal marginal portions of ornamental means mounted in the body vand displayed through the transparent top panel 10. n

The bottom of the body is closed by a bottom panel 12 which is securedv along lower edge faces of the walls by a suitable number of screws 13 in order that the lbottom panel will be firmly secured but may be removed when so desired. This bottom panel carries brackets 14 which are secured upon the bottom panel by bolts 15 and extend upwardly from the bottom panel at opposite ends of the side walls in close proximity thereto, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, with their upper ends overlapping the supporting strips 7. The brackets rotatably support a number of rollers 16 which are in vertically spaced relation to each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and one of these rollers, which is indicated by the numeral 17, constitutes a drive roller and is rotatably mounted between lower' portions of the Ibrackets at one end of the table. This drive roller has a centrally located shaft 18 which is of greater length than the shafts of the remaining rollers and projects from the drive roller such a distance'that it passes through a slot 19 leading from the lower edge of one of the side walls, a knob 20 being rigidly mounted upon the protruding end portion of the shaft 18 so that by grasping this knob the drive roller may be turned. Since thel shaft 18 passes outwardly through a slot or notch leading from the lower edge of the side wall 3, it may be moved downwardly out of this notch'and, therefore, not interfere with ready removal of the brackets and the rollers from within the'hollow table body whenA the screws 13 are removed and the bottom panel shifted downwardly. Therollers may be formed of wood or other suitable material and about the drive roller 17 is provided a covering l21 formed of fabric or other suitable materialwhich will have frictionalbinding engagement with afabric web trained about the drive roller.

Referring to Fig.v 2 it'will be seen'thatithe web 22, which may be formed of fabric or other suitable flexible material, extends longitudinally of the table and is trained aboutthe various rollers, thus providing an endless web having'upperand/lower' flights and a nmber of intermediate ights, according to the number of rollers supported by the brackets. This web consists of a plurality of strips or sections 23 of such width that marginal portions of the upper flight will be overlapped by the ornamental trim 11. Therefore, margins of the upper flight will be completely concealed by portions of the trim eX- tending along the side walls and"since the upper o'ne's'of the rollers are overlapped by the trim extending along the end walls, the brackets andvany space betweenwalls.

of'the table andthe rollers and 'marginal portionsloftli web will be entirely concealedand notfdtract'frot the appearance of the table;

frictional binding engagement with the web, theV drive roller, when turned, will very.` elfectively impart movement to the webrand theupper iiight will be moved longitudinally to'adjustedpositions. This web consists ofya suitable number of sections 23-which are of. contrasting.

colors `or designs and secured together at their ends. by the-seams 24 shown .in 6 andV each section is offsuch length that when it is in position to constitute theupper iiight-of the web,ybothends:will be concealed from view of a person looking at the-transparent top panel. InFig. ti` onesectio-n or stripfforminggthe web hasbeen; shown asired and the` other as green, but it will be understood that they may` be of any colors-,desired and also ornamented in such; a manner that they'will be of-a distinctive contrast to each other.

may-be shifted longitudinallyout of its position-in which it is displayed through the transparent top panel, and

another-strip "or section moved into place whereit` may be` seen. This will materially change the appearance of the tableandfadd to its attractiveness. i

While it has been stated that the rollers are mounted at ends of thetableadjacentthe end walls-4 and-'5, itwill be-understood thatthey could-be so disposed that the rollers extend Vlongitudinally'of the side walls -insteadof beingqparallel lto the end-walls, in whichi case theiiights of the web will. extend transversely,A of theAV table vinstead of longitudinally thereof.: Various other'arrangementsof the rollers-maybe madefor controlling.directional movementof theiweblin `accordance with Ywhethergthe:table is oblong, square, or any other 'shape desired.

When the'strips'of fabric or other material from-which the webA is formed become soiled-lor V-an entirelyfdiffe'rent pattern; desired, it` isyrn'erely--necessary to remove the.

screws 13fand shift; the bottom :paneldownwardlyaway frornwtheopen bottom of-Ithet body offthe` table.-V Thel brackets, together` with -thet rollers and the web, .willfbe removed* from` theV tabler body; along with` the bottom panel', and byreniovingzthe ibolts securingfthe brackets at one side of4 the bottom panel, these .brackets mayrbe shifted out of 'engagement-,with the'shafts or -pintlesof the'rollers and thecntirerweb removed andreplaced' byzanother.

As `this inventionl may beg-embodiedfin; severalA forms without departing .from thespirit or essential characteristics thereof, the-present. embodiment is therefore illus'-` trativeand not restrictive,isince thescopeof the` invention.

is defined by 'the appended claims rather. than by thezdescriptionl precedingthem; and all changes thatY fall within? the metes and` bounds of the claims or thatiformftheirV the top edges ofsaid walls, aV bottomy wall covering-thev underside of the frame and extending across the-'bottoml edge surfaces of the side and e'ndiwalls,` fasteners remov- Portionsv of the web trained about the. various rollers have close fitting engagement4 therewithrand since the-drive rollerisprovided-withl al covering 21 of fabric or other suitable material'h'aving;

Therefore, byturning the driveroller, a section constituting the upper ightof the web'` ably securing the bottom wall to said bottom edge surfaces, an upright vL-shaped bracket upon the top side of the bottom wall at each side edge and adjacent to each end of the bottom wall, each bracket including a vertical relatively wide leg spanning the space between said bottom wall and the top wall panel and a horizontal leg extending inwardly on the bottom wall and secured thereto, the Wide vertical. legs of the brackets on one side of the bottom wall cach facing the corresponding leg of a bracket on the opposite side to form a pair of spaced supports, a set of vertically spaced rollers extending across the space between and rotatably mounted on each pair of spaced supports, the lowermost roller of one set constituting a driving roller and being of greater diameter-than the overlying rollers, a friction material covering said driving roller, an operating shaft extending axially from one end of said driving roller to the outer side of the adjacent side wall through a slot in the latter wall which opens through the bottom edge thereof, and an endless web extending back and forth between the sets of'rollers land trained around the rollers andzconsis'ting` ofa number of different joined sections designed `to be successively moved into position`beneath and for display through the transparent top wall panel.

2. A table of the character described comprising a rectangular frame embodying spaced parallel side walls and transverse endwalls, supporting legs attached to thc frame, angle strips disposed along the inner sides of the side and end walls and each having a horizontal part spaced belowthetop of the adjacent frame wall and a depending-part secured to the adjacent frame wall, a transparent topwall panel iitted in the frame and supported onv the horizontal parts of the angle strips, the bottom wall covering the underside of the frame and secured to` the side and end walls at the bottoms thereof, means removably securing the bottom' wall to said side and end walls, an `upright -L-shaped bracket upon the top side of the bottom wall'at each side/edge and adjacent to each end of the bottom wall, each bracket including an upright relativelywide leg spanning `the major extent of the space between said lbottom walland the top wall panel and a horizontalleg extending inwardly on the bottomwall and secured thereto, the top ends-of the vertical legs of said brackets overlapping and being positioned against the depending part of anY angle strip and maintained by the said dependingpart of the angle-strip inl spaced relation with-theadjacent `side wall., a set of vertically spaced rollers extending across the space between and rotatably mounted on each pair of spaced supports, the lowerrnost roller of one-set constituting a driving roller, an operating shaft extending axially from one end `of said driving rollerto the-outer side of the adjacent side wall through anopening-inthe'latter wall, andan endless web extending back 'and-forthbetween the sets-of rollers and trained around-the rollers and'consi'sting of anumber of differentl joined sections designed to be successively moved into position beneath and for display through the transparent 'top wall panel.

References Cited in the tile ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 157,113 Baade et al Nov. 24, 1874 283,408 Macdonell Aug. 2l, 1883 786,610 Terry Apr. 4, 1905 1,394,881v Bardera Oct. 25, 1921 1,785,442 Fisher Dec. 6, 1930 2,688,818 Joy sept. 14, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,013,565 France Apr. 30, 1952 

